Christie’s rushed out an announcement this morning that the house had secured the art collection of Joan and Preston Tisch. Joan died late last year at 90 years old. Today, Christie’s is announcing a Miró and De Kooning for the May sales. There will be more works announced later:
Encompassing over 40 objects in total, The Collection of Joan and Preston Robert Tisch is expected to realize in excess of $80 million. The collection includes works by some of the leading names of the recent art historical canon. From strikingly modern bronzes by Alberto Giacometti and Henry Moore to boldly-colored canvases by Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Miró, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso and others, it is a dynamic lesson in 20th century creativity.
Collection proceeds will go to the Tisch family foundations to continue the couple’s lifelong philanthropic mission. Joan and Preston Robert Tisch sought to share this same visual and intellectual delight in the public sphere. The couple continuously contributed leadership and substantial financial backing to institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, home of the Tisch Galleries, and the Museum of Modern Art, where Joan Tisch served as a trustee and posthumously donated works by artists including Léger, Braque, and Giacometti.
A selection of works will be on view in Christie’s King Street galleries from February 20 – March 8. Among the highlights being exhibited are Joan Miro’s Femme entendant de la musique, 1945 ($10,000,000-15,000,000) and Willem De Kooning’s Untitled XVIII, 1976 (estimate: $8,000,000-12,000,000). Further details on the collection will be available in the coming months.
